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Warrant Rocks the Arena This Weekend

What could possibly be better than some of that sweet cherry pie? Erik Turner, founding member and guitarist for Warrant took some time to catch up with me. We touch on several topics including touring, the upcoming Rock the Arena in Toledo, Ohio, and why I scream, you scream, we all scream for Warrant.

Credit to: Warrant and Kevin Gudat

First off, I mentioned to Erik that Warrant was touring this year. Contrary to my information, the guys have already played three shows in February and two shows this March. Erik states, “We play fifty shows a year.”

Warrant has toured every year since 1988. Turner shared, “Some years we play twenty shows and some years we play 120 shows.” With much of the calendar spent on the road, rehearsals aside, I inquired as to what Erik does to mentally and physically prepare for these demands. “Eat healthy, go to the gym and play my guitar a lot!” he enthusiastically says.

One of the stops for Warrant is the John F. Savage Arena in Toledo, Ohio, on March 19th for Rock the Arena. There, the band will be be reuniting with Trixter and FireHouse with whom they toured in 2012 on the 21st Anniversary of the Cherry Pie Album. I asked what it is like to hear these bands perform. I was not disappointed in Turner’s response, “It’s always great to play on the festival bills. It’s rock-n roll-high school reunion,” he says with a laugh. And because Warrant is sharing the stage with so many other bands in Toledo, I asked Erik how carefully the time on stage must be monitored. “We start on time if the stage is ready, and finish on time. Since we have played thousands of shows, it’s easy. And it’s the respectful and professional thing to do.”

As far as vocals are concerned, Robert Mason has been lending his vocal talent to Warrant since 2008 so I wanted to know a little bit about how the sound has evolved. Turner says, “He sings the songs the way they were written. You can check out Warrant – Rockaholic on iTunes or Amazon to hear how the band has evolved with Mason.” And obviously, when one mentions Warrant, they’re humming “Cherry Pie” for the next hour. I asked Erik if it was a bit of a downer knowing the crowd is anticipating “Cherry Pie” in a set when the guys have other glamorous offerings to serve. “We have “Down Boys”, “Heaven”, “Sometimes Cries”, “I Saw Red”, and “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”, all hits on the radio and the MTV generation. We’ve sold 10 million records worldwide so our fans know all the songs we play from the first 2 records and more. We love playing “Cherry Pie.” No part of the show is a downer! Doing what you love for a living and getting paid for it too… You kidding me 😉 Blessed!” he kindly responds. Personally, I like to know about equipment and Erik told me that drummer Steven Sweet likes Pearl drums and will be using a double bass setup at the shows.

Fans need to check out Warrant Rocks because the band is offering VIP upgrades in addition to ticket purchase! Since VIP meet and greets and social media outlets have emerged, I wanted to know how this has changed the way Warrant interacts with their fans versus the days of receiving fan club letters. Erik says, “It’s great! We have always been a very fan friendly band; the fans have been so good to us since the beginning and today. If meet and greets were offered when I was going to concerts as a young rocker, I would have purchased one for sure, probably many times!” Lastly, Erik adds, “Thank You for supporting Warrant and live music!”

I thank Erik for his time, and to he and all the guys of Warrant, I greatly anticipate the guys rocking Toledo at Rock the Arena!